PROGRESSIVE

ARTISTS'
GROUP
HISTORY OF ART, ARCHITECTURE
& DESIGN - DDD 2842
MRS. LOPAMUDRA PAKIRA

By Vrinda Chaudhary | SOFD |

Semester 4
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my special thanks of
gratitude to my professor (Mrs Lopa Mudra
Pakira ) as well as our dean (Mr Sasi Gopal
Menon ) who gave me the golden opportunity
to do this wonderful project on this topic,
which also helped me in doing a lot of
research and I came to know about so many
new things for which I am really thankful to
them.

Secondly, I would also like to thank my

parents and friends who helped me a lot in
finalizing this project within the limited time
frame.

Thank you to all who supported.

02
 A collective of some of the most
iconic artists of India,

Overview.
the Progressive Artists’ Group (PAG),
formed in 1947 in Bombay,
transformed the modern art scenario
of the country. The founding members
were rightly referred to as ‘heralds of
a new dawn in the world of Indian art’
by celebrated author Mulk Raj Anand.
They challenged the conservative
artistic establishments of their times
and espoused a worldly mindset. The
result was a beautiful synthesis of
Indian art history with modernist styles
such as post-impressionism, cubism
and expressionism.
03
The Impetus

The PAG (initially comprising F. N. Souza, S.

H. Raza, M. F. Husain, K. H. Ara, H. A. Gade,
and S. K. Bakre) came into being sometime
after August 14, 1947, when the partition of
India wreaked havoc on humanity, with many
losing their lives or being dislocated. The
partition is believed to have sowed the seed
among the founding members to set new
standards in the country, beginning with art.
(THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF PAG
- FRONT ROW: F.N. SOUZA, K.H.
ARA AND H.A. GADE, BACK ROW:
M.F. HUSAIN, S.K. BAKRE AND S.H.
RAZA)
04
Challenging the conservative art establishment of
their times, the members desired to break away
from the revivalist nationalism formed by the Bengal
School of Art, and instead, promote a progressive
style that was on par with international
developments. The basic principle was to come out
of the colonial hangover and espouse a worldly
mindset.
How It All
Began

Consumed by their desire to transform the art (AN EXHIBITION OF THE

establishment of their times, Souza, Raza, Ara and PROGRESSIVE ARTISTS'
GROUP)
critic Rashid Husain got together on December 5,
1947. They expressed their disillusionment with the
state of the judging process at exhibitions. By
setting up a judging committee, they wished to do
away with the arbitrary selection process, and bring
in greater transparency where emerging talents
could get a fair platform to showcase their work.
06
 Raza, Souza, Ara and Bakre (convinced
by Ara) had already made up their mind
earlier to showcase their work together.
Souza roped in Husain, and Raza
initiated Gade into the world of PAG
and thus, the group came into being.
They initially choose to stick to six
members to avert stylistic scramble.

(TONGA BY M.F. HUSAIN, 1950)

07
Later, however, PAG did expand, and
revered artists such as Manishi Dey, Ram
Kumar and Tyeb Mehta became
associated with the group. By 1950,
Krishen Khanna, Mohan Samant and V.S.
Gaitonde joined the bandwagon as well.
And while the venerated artist Akbar
Padamsee was never an official member
of the PAG, he established a lifelong bond
with its members.

(BETRAYAL
BY KRISHEN KHANNA, 1950)

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 Varied
Styles
It is hard to club the vast body of work
produced by the Progressive Artists’
Group under one category, as each artist
was influenced by different movements
and styles, and had a unique artistic
approach and temper. The PAG members
often merged Indian themes and imagery
with western artistic techniques such as
(ROCK LIFES BY H.A. GADE,
European modernism, post-
1949) impressionism, cubism and expressionism.

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While K.H. Ara created striking
watercolour and gouache paintings
that resembled folk and native tribal
art styles, F.N. Souza showcased an
unconventional distortion of form
and interestingly merged Goan folk
art with western styles such as
cubism. In contrast, H.A. Gade is
considered among the first abstract
painters of post-independent India,
who often painted themes related to
landscapes.

(UNTITLED LANDSCAPE BY S.H. RAZA, 1948)

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Perhaps the most recognized
members of the PAG today, are
S.H. Raza and M.F. Husain. A
groundbreaking artist, Raza
brought into his works the fluidity
of Indian watercolour paintings.
He mastered several forms,
initially adopting an expressionistic
style depicting lyrical landscapes,
later moving towards an abstract
style showcasing strong influences
of geometric forms.
(UNTITLED WORK BY K.H. ARA, 1950)

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 M.F. Husain rendered a beautiful
melange of folk art, tribal art and
mythology, and was responsible for
bringing to the country the most
authentic flavour of cubism through
his works, which often had
resonances of symbolism as well.

The only sculptor cum painter in the

group, Sadanand Bakre became
renowned for introducing
independent imagery in Indian art
that differed from the traditional
style of employing realism. His works
were marked by their sensitive
modelling and distinct expression. (WOMAN BY MF
HUSSAIN, 1915 )
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 The
Decline
By 1951, three of the key members of
PAG moved abroad. Souza and Bakre
departed for London, whereas Raza
moved to Paris. Husain too began
shuttling between Mumbai and Delhi. As
a result, the group no longer functioned
together, and the focus shifted to their
individual work. After periodic
exhibitions, the group dismembered
sometime around 1956. The artists
continued on their own accord, creating
(RED SHOE BY SADANAND powerful works. One of the members,
K. BAKRE, 1920 ) Gade even went on to create a group of
his own, named Bombay Group of
Artists, in the late 1950s. 13
Though short-lived, PAG had an
immense bearing on the modern art
scene of India. The ethos and works
produced by members of the PAG,
still reverberate in today’s art world.

(HINDU PRINCESS BY F.N. SOUZA,

1949)

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Thank You
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B
ombay_Progressive_Artists%27
_Group
https://www.artisera.com/blog
s/expressions/the-progressive-
artists-group-and-its-impact-
on-indian-modern-art
https://www.sothebys.com/en/
References articles/the-legacy-of-the-
progressive-artists-group
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art
-terms/b/bombay-progressive-
artists-group
https://www.eikowa.com/blog/
progressive-artists-group-pag-
the-sextet-of-artists-that-
incited-an-artistic-revolution-
in-post-independence-india